Memories of Another
by ChishionoTenshi
Summary: Severus Snape finds a young girl on Hogwarts' doorstep, and volunteers to care for her. Little does he realize her intelligence and power may come from an unknown, dangerous source. COMPLETE
1. Disclaimer Note

Disclaimer:  
  
I do not own Harry Potter, or any characters, objects, spells, etc. realted to Harry Potter. They all belong to JK Rowling and Warner Brothers.  
  
Author's Note:  
  
This story has violent themes. It also ties in with my story Less Than Perfect. In order to understand later chapters in Less Than Perfect, you must read this story. Another thing you may want to look up is Lady Jane Grey: The Nine-Day Queen of England. She was mentioned in one of the books as a powerful witch, and was the inspiration for my story, as well as a pair of purple-handled scissors.  
  
That being said, I hope you all enjoy my story, and please review. Flames will be used to heat my house, because it is dang cold in here. Constructive critisism is always welcome. And please notify me of any spelling errors. Now, enjoy! 


	2. Prologue

My father has taught me well.  
  
For so long I have lived inside this dark prison. No light, save for from the barred window. I am the Rapunzel my mother once told me about. Unlike that fool, however, I have a plan. It is simple enough. Just get out and run.  
  
Run from my past, and run for my future; I have no choice any longer. God forgive me for what I intend to do. I know this is a sin, but I have no way to prevent this. They would not let me simply walk away. They did not let mother walk away.  
  
I gather what I need, shrinking down the book my mother cherished enough to hide it under our bed. At least, she called it a bed. With a frown, I carefully prepare myself. I stand next to the door, listening. May God forgive me.  
  
A brief tussle, and it is over. I pull my blunt scissors back, and clutch them close to my chest. Please forgive me. Then I run. Once outside, I concentrate. I disappear from view.  
  
My father taught me well indeed. 


	3. Sunset

Rosmerta looked out over the scenic landscape towards the setting sun. It was still early, about four in the afternoon, but it was nearly midwinter. Yule would come soon, and with it a fresh round of customers. Truthfully, Rosmerta preferred company to money, but she had to earn her money somehow.  
  
Then, much to her surprise, a small girl- or at least someone too young to have their license- Apparated right in front of the steps. Standing up, Rosmerta gave the girl the once-over. The light was fading, and all Rosmerta could be sure of was that the girl looked a bit perplexed.  
  
"Excuse me, but do you know where I can find Albus Dumbledore?" Realizing that the child was speaking to her, Rosmerta collected her scattered wits.  
  
"Up at Hogwarts, of course. But how do you know him?"  
  
"Hogwarts?" the girl asked, the confusion evident in her tone.  
  
"The castle, of course. It's only a short way up the path, but don't you think you should wait until tomorrow? It's late for a little one to be traveling up the path. And cold."  
  
"I have to go," was all the girl said. She all but ran up the path towards the enchanted castle. Rosmerta wondered what it was she had been clutching in her hands, so tight, as if it was her only link to life. 


	4. Snow

It was cold, just as the woman had said it would be. Inside her prison, she had never been subject to a variance in temperature. There was snow falling-it was snow, wasn't it? That was what she could recall her mother calling it. For a moment, the girl paused, taking in the beauty of the flakes that landed on her skin and clothing. At first they melted, but as she began to get colder, they were sticking.  
  
Move, her mind said, and her feet obliged. She found herself staring up at the massive doors of the castle. Now what should she do? Taking in the rings of metal, a small memory in the back of her mind took control. She reached up and took one into her hand. It was so cold.  
  
She lifted it, and let it drop, twice. It made an odd noise, and she flinched away from it. Why had she done that? The girl sat on the stone steps, head in her hands.  
  
"Who are you?" The snarling voice made her jump and slide down the stairs. She fell in a heap, and for a moment, she was aware of a stinging pain her arm. Turning, she looked up with wide eyes at the man wearing nothing but black. Of course, with the glare, she could not be sure of that.  
  
"I repeat: who are you? Five points from your House for your lack of response."  
  
"My house?" she asked in confusion. Belatedly she realized she had stabbed herself in the arm with her blunt scissors in her fall.  
  
"Stupid girl," the man snarled. He grabbed her arm, and she cried out.  
  
"Ouch," she whimpered, pulling on the scissors. She had to get them out. Bracing herself, she gripped the handle and pulled. It came out with surprising ease, she noted in her only moment free from pain.  
  
"Damn it," the man hissed, and she found him incredibly close. "Don't you know that we have spells to do that painlessly?"  
  
"Spells?" the girl asked. What was a spell? Did she have to swallow it? A bit dizzy from the pain, she closed her eyes. She did not realize how long they would stay closed. 


	5. Question and Answer

Snape was having another bad day. From his classroom being full of bumbling fools who were too caught up in holidays to pay attention to his lecture, to that stupid little girl appearing on the doorstep with a pair of scissors in her arm; all in all it had been a very irritating day. Furthermore, not one of the staff could identify the sleeping child in the hospital wing.  
  
And somehow, he had been given the duty of watching her tonight while she slept. In case she awakened, he was to alert the Headmaster. Except that this child seemed content to sleep the night away. Perhaps content was not the right word. Her face was scrunched up, and she kept trying to burrow beneath the covers, as if hiding. Abruptly she sat straight up.  
  
"Mummy!" Silently watching her look around in confusion, Snape observed the girl's reaction to being in a strange place. Apparently, she was scared, because she hugged herself around her middle.  
  
"You are not in danger, so I suggest you stop being so frightened, and start concentrating on telling us exactly what you are doing here," he drawled. She started at the sound of his voice, but upon seeing him, she relaxed. Odd, no one ever relaxed in his presence.  
  
"Please, I am looking for Albus Dumbledore," she said softly. "Do you know who he is?"  
  
"Of course I do, silly girl. Stay here, Miss. . . What is your name?"  
  
"Name?" the girl repeated. It took all of his willpower not to strangle her.  
  
"Yes, your name. What others yell at you to retain your attention." A look of dawning realization appeared on her tiny features, and she uttered a word that would make a sailor blush with shame.  
  
"That is not amusing in the slightest!" Snape growled. The girl looked hurt.  
  
"But that is what. . . he calls me."  
  
"And who would call a child such a thing?" Snape demanded. Oh, how well did he know.  
  
"My. . . father," she spat out, as if the word tasted bad. After a swift moment's thought, he gave her a nod, and went to fetch the Headmaster. He paused once to tell Madam Pomfrey that her patient was awake.  
  
When he returned, Madam Pomfrey was coaxing her to drink some hot chocolate. Dumbledore sat in the chair by the girl, and Snape chose to stand behind him, arms folded across his chest. Madam Pomfrey shook her head at him, and gave him a wink.  
  
"Now, my dear, I was informed you were looking for me. What is your name?"  
  
"I don't know," the girl told Dumbledore, before Snape could interrupt and tell her that what she had said earlier was not a name. Smart girl.  
  
"I see. And why did you come to see me? I don't think you are a witch, judging by your confusion at what a spell was."  
  
"I came to see you because you're the only person my father hates." It was amazing how much loathing one tiny girl could push into a single word.  
  
"An interesting choice, my child. And your father is?" At this, the girl clutched at the blankets and repeated the name very softly. Snape raised an incredulous eyebrow.  
  
"That thing cannot reproduce," he snarled. Dumbledore held up a hand, effectively silencing.  
  
"Mummy told me he wasn't what he said, before he. . ." the child bit her lip, and Dumbledore patted her shoulder.  
  
"It's all right Jane. I know Amy would have wanted you to know the truth."  
  
"Jane?" Snape asked incredulously.  
  
"You are Jane," Dumbledore told the girl with a firmness that brooked no argument. "Your mother was Amy Grey, and that man is not your father. Your father, I am afraid, is missing."  
  
"Oh. What does that mean?" the newly christened Jane asked.  
  
"That means we do not know where he is. Until today, you were missing as well. Although, I daresay Fudge is not going to be happy about this."  
  
"Candy?" Jane asked, her little face scrunched up into a cute frown. Wait a minute. Since when did Snape think anyone was cute?  
  
"If only," Madam Pomfrey murmured, a bit too loudly. Dumbledore laughed, and chided her,  
  
"Now, now Poppy. Don't confuse the child further. Jane, dear, I suppose we should teach you a few things. Can you read?"  
  
"Read? You mean. . . letters?" At Dumbledore's encouraging nod, she shook her head. "My mummy taught me some, but only little words. Out of this."  
  
She brought out a tiny book. Without a wand, and in front of the startled wizards and mediwitch, she enlarged it. Snape could see it was well-worn, and certainly old. The lack of title told him it was either a bible, or some sort of family album. Dumbledore took it, and opened it to the first page. It was a bible, and Severus knew it was a family bible, considering the family tree on the first few pages.  
  
Jane looked at it briefly, and placed a finger on the last name in the book. That would be her name. Suddenly, the little girl felt for a bookmark, and turned quite a few pages. She paused, her finger scanning down the page, looking for the familiar words.  
  
"The Lord is my shepard, I shall not be in want. . . he makes me. . . lie down in green pastures. . . he leads me be-beside the quite-er, quiet waters, he restores my. . ." Jane paused, staring down at the word in perplexation.  
  
"Soul, dear," Albus told her gently. "The twenty-third psalm, if I am not mistaken?"  
  
"Mummy liked it. She taught it to me. . . I forgetted most of it. But I remember it when I read it again."  
  
"A good poem, that. Now, Miss Grey-"  
  
"What? I don't understand that." Jane wore that now familiar confused expression. At least, Snape thought, she is not afraid to admit she does not understand.  
  
"Which part? Oh, of course. 'Miss Grey' is the polite form of your name. You have two names: Jane (your first name), and Grey (your last name). Jane is what your friends call you. Miss Grey is a more polite term, used by those who are not as close."  
  
"Can't you call me Jane?" she asked, curious. Her gaze flicked over to Snape-or was that just his imagination?  
  
"If you wish, I can do that. But, Jane, you must realize that you have no guardian to take care of you-"  
  
"A guardian? Is that like a guardian angel?"  
  
"A bit, yes. Your guardian will provide the necessities for you: clothes, food, a room of your own, and will arrange a way for you to get a good education. Letter and numbers," Dumbledore told Jane with a smile. She looked surprised. Snape was not. This was most likely the biggest display of generosity she had ever had bestowed upon her.  
  
"Without a guardian, however, you are without protection. And Fudge- he is a very important man- will attempt to decide your future. If you can find someone. . . Or perhaps, know someone?"  
  
Jane studied the blanket in her lap. In a glance, Snape knew she had never known anyone outside of whatever hell she had come from. It would be a waste to send her away- No, more than a waste. The girl was brilliant, that much was obvious. And she was brave enough to fight her way out of the hell MacNair had created for her.  
  
"I will take her in," Snape offered. Dumbledore looked amused, but Madam Pomfrey looked mortified.  
  
"Severus, you can't possibly know the first thing about-"  
  
"I think," Dumbledore began, just a bit too loudly, "That that is an excellent idea. That is, of course, if Jane does not mind."  
  
"Mind?" Jane asked, and Snape explained in tone much more gentle than he would normally use,  
  
"He means would you rather not live with me? It is all right to say no," he added.  
  
"I don't. . . mind," Jane said, with a smile for herself. Her looks improved a great deal with that little smile.  
  
"Well, that makes things much easier. Severus do you have a place for her to stay?"  
  
"There is the disused guest room," he acknowledged. Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"I will have the house elves fix it up, so that she might sleep there tonight. Poppy, can you make a note of her vitals? Fudge will want to know as much as he can about her."  
  
"Fine," Madam Pomfrey grated.   
  
Severus privately wondered what had made him volunteer to be the guardian for a small child. Brilliance and courage aside, this was a child. Something he had an extreme aversion to. At least she seemed to know where to draw the line and be silent. 


	6. Auror

"Did you have any siblings?" Fudge asked.  
  
"Any what?" Jane asked.   
  
Privately Severus was amused. The Minister looked as if he had reached the end of his rope. Eight years without human conversation had left Jane with a large deficit in her vocabulary. However, Jane was clever enough to catch on within the first good explanation. Mentally, he emphasized the good.  
  
"Siblings are those who are born to you from the same mother, or father," he told Jane calmly.  
  
"Not any living ones," she told Fudge. Now it was Fudge's turn to question,  
  
"Any what?"  
  
"He killed the one my mother was going to have when he killed her. He ripped him right out. The he threw him at me."  
  
Severus clutched the arm of his chair. To hear this little child so calmly state an act of cold murder. . . Gods, but it hurt him. No wonder she stayed close only to himself and Dumbledore. He had been her rescuer, and Dumbledore was an enemy of the man who done this. Fudge was staring at Jane, mouth hanging open wide. However, the Auror at his side had no problems with the details.  
  
"And I would presume he is also the one who gave you that scar?" she asked, her own voice as devoid of emotion as Jane's had been. The scar the Auror was referring to was a faint line that ran from Jane's left temple to her chin.  
  
"I think so. Mummy said he did. She used to show me each one, and tell me to remember all of them, because I'd have to tell someone about it someday. . . We'd talk until it didn't hurt as much. . . When she died, I couldn't talk to her anymore. . . I mean, her body was there, but. . ."  
  
"Talking to a corpse is the same as talking to a wall," the Auror reasoned. "I think that is enough for tonight Jane."  
  
When the Auror and Minister stood, Severus stood as well. Jane had been standing the entire time. After a whole day of sitting and waiting, Jane had asked to stand up for the proceedings. He had been most amused to hear her tell the Minister that her "bum" hurt, and she wanted to give it a rest.  
  
"Jane?" he asked her quietly, in a tone only she would be able to hear. She embraced his leg, burying her face in the black fabric, and hiding inside his robes.  
  
"Well, goodnight. Albus. Severus. Jane," Fudge added, as an afterthought. He was gone quickly. The Auror, however, waited for him to disappear.  
  
"Jane, I am sure you will hear this often, but I want to tell it to you. You are a very strong person. Your mother was brave and wise, and she would be proud of you. I know I am."  
  
"Thank you. . . What's your name?" Jane asked.  
  
"Call me Owena," the Auror told her with a smile. She bowed to all three of them in turn, and followed Fudge out.  
  
"Ah, finished just in time for dinner. Will you be attending in the Great Hall, Severus?"  
  
"Since Jane is not yet allowed to come, no. Are you hungry, Jane?" Severus asked as an afterthought.  
  
"A little. But mostly tired. . . 'Spread butter on me, I'm toast,' " she recited with a yawn. That earned her a chuckle from the Headmaster.  
  
"I see you have been speaking with Professor McGonagall. Well, I will bid you good night then, Jane. Sleep well."  
  
"Thank you. You too," Jane said. She reached up and took Severus's hand, and he lead her back down into the dungeons.  
  
It had been two weeks since Jane had escaped from MacNair. Fudge, in his ridiculous way, still refused to believe that MacNair had anything to do with Jane. Owena, on the other hand. . . Snape smirked. The "Auror" knew better than anyone exactly what was going on. That was her talent, and she used it well.  
  
He opened the door for Jane, and as he watched her preceed him, he wondered who it was she reminded of. Her mother had looked nothing like Jane did. Jane had soft sandy hair- nearly red, and gentle brown eyes. Amy had had midnight hair and deep blue eyes. They were so far apart that the only thing they shared was the same nose. Who was it Jane resembled?  
  
"What do you want for dinner?" Severus asked before remembering that Jane knew little about food.  
  
"What you have," Jane told him. She curled up in a chair in front of the fireplace. Taking a hint, he lit the fire with a flick of his wand. Studying her for a moment, he asked,  
  
"How did you learn to do magic, Jane?"  
  
"I watched them. MacNair and his. . . what do you call them?"  
  
"Accomplices. So, if I showed you how to do something, you think you could do it?"  
  
"Maybe. I couldn't do the bad ones. The ones that hurt people." Jane went silent, watching the flames. Severus knew she was thinking of her mother, and the baby that had died. She looked at him suddenly.  
  
"Can you?"  
  
"Yes," he answered. Jane studied him for a long time. He was relieved when the house elves appeared with dinner. Damn, but she was smart. 


	7. Into Thy Hands

Even though she could not see, Jane knew where she was. She reached forward her hands to grasp the block. She kept reaching, reaching. When she felt nothing beneath her fingertips, she began to come undone.  
  
"Where is it? What shall I do? Where is it?" Jane almost wept in her upset. Then a pair of hands took her own and guided her forward. She gave a sigh of relief to feel the wood beneath her hands. Leaning forward, she said softly,  
  
"Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit." But her calm fell away when Jane realized where she was, and what was happening.  
  
"No! I don't want to die! No! Not like Mummy! Please!" The axe was falling, she knew. Still she wept, "Please!"  
  
"Jane! Jane!" The hands were back, but this time she could almost see them.  
  
"Lumos," she said, and a small light banished the darkness. For a moment, she was confused by the face in front of hers. Then she relaxed.  
  
"Jane, are you all right?" Severus asked gently. Jane did not answer. Was she all right? What was that dream about? Why did she have it so often?  
  
"Jane?" Severus repeated, taking her face into his hands. The hands. . . the ones that helped her find the block. Why had she gone to it so willingly?  
  
"Jane, answer me."  
  
"What?" she asked, coming out of her confused thoughts to register his voice.  
  
"You called out in your sleep. What was it you were dreaming about?"  
  
"Jane," she said, thinking back. She was Jane, and she was not Jane. What did she call herself then? Lady Jady. . . that had been Lady Jane- whoever she was.  
  
"You are Jane," Snape told her in irritation. Jane looked at him, having forgotten he was there again.  
  
"I am," she agreed. "But she wasn't."  
  
"What does that mean?" he demanded.  
  
"I'm not sure. I don't have the words," Jane said with regret. Maybe there were not any words for that. Maybe she was. . . what was it? Crazy? 


	8. I Commend My Spirit

Severus watched Jane sleeping. It was lunch time, but he had noticed she ate little, and slept immediately after. Complex did not begin to descibe Jane. The dreams she had bothered him, mostly because she did not have a vocabulary large whough to describe them. And she still reminded him of someone or some thing he could not place.  
  
Which reminded him, there were books he had checked out from the library to help him. They were books he read often, and he thought that this perhaps was the reason he thought he recognized Jane from somewhere else. Taking Famous Witches and Wizards out of the stack, he turned to the index.  
  
Skimming through the index, his finger stopped suddenly. There, listed in the index was the entry: Grey, Lady Jane. Surprised, Severus turned to the appropriate page. There was a full color plate of the nine-day queen. He looked over the book to the sleeping child, and glanced back at the picture. They could have been twins.  
  
"Jane Grey. I should have known," he sighed. He looked back over at Jane. She stirred in her sleep, but settled after a few moments.  
  
Deciding he needed answers that his book could not possibly provide, Severus took a pinch of floo power and went to stand in the fireplace. He paused, looking over at Jane, and with a sigh fetched her a blanket. There was no way he would leave her alone with a fire going in the fireplace. After a moment of watching her sleep, he shook himself and turned back to more important matters.  
  
"Headmaster's office," he called out as he dropped the pinch of floo powder. Unlike most others, he could actually step out of the fireplace, without falling, or hurting himself in the slightest.  
  
"Severus, what a nice surprise. As a matter of fact, Minerva and I were just speaking about you. Please do come sit with us."  
  
"Thank you, Headmaster," Severus said, even though inwardly he shuddered at the thought of sharing a room with McGonagall. They just never got along too well, most especially when it came down to students, and how they should be treated.  
  
"Now, Severus, what was it you wished to see me about on a Saturday?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"Who is Jane?"  
  
"Now that is a question," Dumbledore acknowledged, before MCGonagall could say anything.  
  
"Now just a minute. What makes you think Albus can answer that question, Severus?"  
  
"Because he already knows her name, her mother, and, it seems, her father. None of which anyone besides Owena could possibly know."  
  
"I must confess, I had to use Owena to verify the details. Jane Grey is the last living descendant of Lady Jane Grey, who- as you both may recall from your Magical History classes- was one of the most powerful witches of her time."  
  
"Albus, the girl was fifteen when she died! She could not have possibly-"  
  
"Minerva, please. I will tell the story as Owena and Nicholas Flamel told it to me. Lady Jane was married, as you might recall. And it was noted by Lady Jane shortly before her imprisonment that she might be pregnant.  
  
"She wrote to Queen Mary, telling her of the predicament. She offered an exchange: her life for the life of her child. Mary accepted, and they both settled back to wait for the birth of her child. The girl, named Mary Grey- after her benefactor- was taken from Jane the moment she was born and whisked away to a small estate where she was largely ignored. Her story is interesting, but unimportant at this time.  
  
"Jane, our Jane, is Lady Jane's descendant. Owena seems to believe our Jane may be something more than she appears. What, I do not know, because she refuses to tell me. That is all I know. Perhaps you can shed some light on the situation, Severus? You have spent a great deal of time with her during the last few weeks."  
  
"She has dreams. . . She said she was dreaming about Jane. She doesn't yet have the words to describe them, but they are not pleasant."  
  
"Anything more?" Dumbledore seemed very curious, but Severus had nothing more to give.  
  
"Nothing that she has expressed to me. But she has a distinct lack of vocabulary, for all her intelligence."  
  
"How old is she, Albus?" Minerva asked.  
  
"That is harder to say. I did not think to ask Owena, but I can send her owl."  
  
"Then we should ask for Jane's background. We don't know much about her history, after Fudge insisted on sending us out." McGonagall was still sore about that.  
  
"I, for one, do not see the point in reading her history. If she does not volunteer information, I see no point in prying."  
  
"That may be fine for you Severus, but some of us would like to know what's going on."  
  
"Settle down, Minerva. Severus has a right to proceed as he wishes, as do you. I will inform you of her age, and whatever else you wish to know, Severus. Was there anything else?"  
  
"No. I should get back to Jane." Severus rose to leave.  
  
"I'm sure she's still sleeping." 


	9. Fire

Watching the firelight play over her pale hands, she silently recited her latest lesson. Speak not unless spoken to, and then only what small witty phrases are acceptable given your company. Yes, that was simple enough for a lady of society.  
  
"Missus has such beautiful skin," remarked the maid.  
  
"I am sure there are other things about me to admire besides my skin," she scolded the maid. "My skin means nothing to me. It is my heart and soul I shall concern myself with."  
  
"You shall be concerning yourself with your looks soon enough, Jane. You have a new suitor. He comes to visit us on the morrow."  
  
"Another suitor? Mother, I do hate pandering to them so."  
  
"You will do what it takes to please him. His name is Guiliford. Mind that you study his family tree, and do not bore him, understand me?"  
  
"Of course mother." Looking at her hands as her mother turn to instruct the maid as to what she should be seen wearing tomorrow, she came to a swift decision. If her pretty hands were what made these men come looking for her, she would show them not one peep of them.  
  
Or. . . Glancing at her mother to be certain she and the maid were too involved in their conversation to notice, Jane reached slowly out to the flames. Surely burns were repulsive, and that could stop those damn males from fawning all over her-  
  
"Jane!" Surprised out of her flashback, Jane stared up at her adoptive guardian. "What hell do you think you're doing? That fire is hot!"  
  
"I know. Lady did too. . . She wanted to burn her hands," Jane whispered, shivering.  
  
"Well she can leave your hands alone," Severus growled.   
  
Jane saw the anger in his eyes, and looked down at the carpet. She had not meant to let Lady take over her thoughts and actions. It had just been for a moment. Besides, her hands had been fine when she was searching for the block.  
  
"Jane, I do not want to see or hear anything more about Lady, do you understand?"  
  
"Yes sir." Keeping her gaze on the carpet, Jane contemplated how much like her "father" this man was. He could get angry over nothing, and he refused to accept her for who she was. Peering up between fallen locks of hair, Jane watched him ignore her.  
  
Dumbledore had promised she would be safe here. Safety aside, Jane felt nothing near the happiness Lady had experienced and shared with her. Something in Jane kept screaming to know that love she had lost when she was young. Even her smallest moments were tainted with the knowledge of what those moments had cost her.  
  
"I have classes to attend. I will see you after I have finished my work," Severus said brusquely. He was up and out the door before Jane could say goodbye.  
  
"Lady, does he hate me?" Jane asked softly. Her friend remained silent, as Jane knew she would.  
  
Silence came once more, and Jane welcomed her oldest companion. Gazing into the fire once more, she almost gave in to the temptation to seek out another memory. Even if her guardian might not see it, she did not want to chance making him angry. When he was angry he turned into a monster that she wanted to hide from.  
  
No, he did not like her very much. Why he kept her in his rooms, Jane was not certain. Unlike Lady, who had a very stable pattern of life to follow, she had never known, nor understood, how her life was supposed to be lived. She had no suitors, and as far as she could tell, those were archaic things that girls no longer had. Of course, she was young to think-  
  
A disconcerting noise from the fireplace made Jane scramble backwards. The last time it had made that noise, someone had fallen out of it, muttered something about the wrong floo, and left. This time the man who fell out of the fireplace, Jane knew. It was Fudge, the Minister of something-or-other. Anyhow, he was Important.  
  
"Ah, Jane. Good. Now, we've been looking for you for a bit. Er, where's Severus?"  
  
"Teaching classes, sir."  
  
"Er, good. Is that your only dress?"  
  
"Yes sir. But why-"  
  
"Have you anything else? You will need it for where, er, we'll be sending you."  
  
"Sending me?" Jane asked, her heart sinking farther than she knew was possible. He was sending her away?  
  
"Er, yes. We found a nice orphanage. Wouldn't want to keep imposing on Severus, would you?" At Jane's unhappy shake of her head, he smiled. "There's a good girl."  
  
"I'm not a good girl," Jane thought as she went to take her pair of scissors from their hiding place. "If I was a good girl, I would be loved. Isn't that right, Lady? Only the good ones go to Heaven." 


	10. My Guardian

"Severus!" Stopping mid-lecture, Snape was about to glare down the damn female who was interrupting him. Then he realized who it was.  
  
"Not in here," he growled before she could take another breath. "Turn your pages and read the chapter you were supposed ot read last night, or you'll all have detention tonight."  
  
"Severus Snape, I can't believe you did that," Owena hissed at him angrily when he closed the classroom door.  
  
"Threatening my students with detention?" Snape asked, vaguely amused.  
  
"No! You left Jane alone, and now Fudge has whisked her off to some damn Catholic orphanage! Here are the papers you'll need to get her released. Now get your ass out there and get her back here before MacNair finds out that she's alone and vunerable!"  
  
"And why does it have to be me?" Snape demanded, but Owena was giving her knowing look, and even he could not escape the effects.  
  
"Why are you still here?" Owena asked. Giving her one last glare, Snape took the papaers she had handed him, and left. He was very certain she would go in and take over his class, which would mean lost points for Slytherin, and added points to Gryffindor. As if his day could not get any worse.  
  
Reaching Hogsmeade, he studied the picture of the orphanage, and when he was certain he had the place memorized, he closed his eyes and Apparated. When he opened them once more, he was standing in the drive of a squat white building. He glanced at the ridiculous architecture, noting how out of place this mexican style building was.  
  
Forcing himself to get it over with, Snape marched up the drive, and prepared himself to be set upon by muggles. He barked at the nun who met him at the door, making her flinch and run to find the Mother Superior. Stupid muggles.  
  
The Mother Superior came with the nun he had frightened, and much to his relief, Jane was with them. She avoided his eyes, and he wondered if he looked half as angry as he felt. "i'm not angry at her," he reminded himself, and calmed down.  
  
"And how may we help you?" the Mother Superior asked.  
  
"I am Jane's guardian, and I came to get her back. The man who brought her here did so without my permission."  
  
"You are her guardian?" the Mother Superior asked, looking from Jane to Snape. Jane finally spoke up.  
  
"He's not my father, just my guardian." Her normally soft voice was merely a whisper.  
  
"Then you have papers to prove this?" the nun asked, now all business. Muggles.  
  
While the two women reviewed his papers, Snape watched Jane. She refused to look at him, and the game of eye-tag was wearying. What was wrong with her now? The nuns returned, the Mother Superior looking a bit suspicious.  
  
"These are the correct papers. You may go home with him, Jane. I'm sorry for the trouble. God bless you."  
  
Severus muttered something non-committal in reply, and took Jane's hand. He walked along the drive until he was certain neither woman could see them anymore. Turning to look down on Jane, he instructed her,  
  
"Hold on tight." Then he Apparated back to the edge of Hogsmeade. Of course he did not splinch them, he was far too good for that. Jane said nothing, not even commenting on the new experience.  
  
"Explain yourself," Snape demanded. Jane looked up then, a question on her lips, but he overrode her. "Why did you go with someone who was not myself? I have told you, you cannot leave the rooms."  
  
"But he was the Minister-"  
  
"I don't care if it's God, you don't ever leave those quarters! Do you realize how much danger you were in? I don't know why I agreed to take care of you."  
  
Even though he was not done, Jane had stopped listening. He hated her. Oh no. No, no, no. Not again. Jane felt her heart stop, felt her head swimming, and vaguely, she heard him demand to know what was wrong with her now. She felt blackness descend like a sudden shower of rain. 


	11. Secret

A/N: Updates are going to come several chapters at a time. This story is tied in with Less Than Perfect, another story of mine. However, this is set before that story. Why they are tied in will become apparent later in Less Than Perfect.  
  
Noting calmly that her lack of attention had gone unnoticed by her teacher, Jane carefully penned her note to Guiliford. Her would-be suitor had become her best friend over the last month. Ever since that night when she had embraced the flames, her mother had refused to allow her out in public.   
  
Of course her mother would be upset, Jane thought bitterly. She wanted the family blood to remain a secret. Mother would not want anyone to know that her precious bloodline had been tainted with wizard blood when she had married father. Father was just as bad. When he found that mother had not a drop of wizarding blood, he had been mortified. At least he was pleased with Jane's talents.  
  
Pleased with Jane. . . Jane!  
  
Sitting up in surprise, she found herself back in the hospital wing. Back at Hogwarts, and not in Lady Jane's chambers. Next to her in a chair sat Albus Dumbledore. He watched her relax, blue eyes twinkling behind upside-down semi-circle spectacles.  
  
"I see you are once again amoungst the living, Jane."  
  
"I don't want to be," Jane said before she could check her tongue. Dumbledore smiled down at her kindly.  
  
"I see Severus has upset you. I have to admit, I expected this. Now, Jane, perhaps you can tell me why you would think such things after only a short time living with Severus. He is not that terrible, is he?"  
  
"I. . ." Jane stared down at the blankets. How could she say what was in her heart?  
  
"No one here will judge you, Jane. You need not fear that. It helps to unburden yourself from time to time."  
  
"He hates me," Jane said after a long silence. There, she had said what hurt her the most. But somehow, speaking those words opened the door for a flood of words.  
  
"I like him very much, and I want him to like me too. But I just irritate him. I know I'm not very smart, and I don't offer much in the way of personality, but. . . He ignores me all the time, except when I've made him angry. He doesn't even want to know about Lady. I thought running away would make everything better, but it's just worse."  
  
Dumbledore quietly waited for Jane to calm down. She had let loose a small flood of tears. Scrubbing at her tears ineffectively, Jane asked quietly,  
  
"Am I bad?"  
  
"Of course not Jane. Severus is just. . . He has never had a child before. He is confused."  
  
"Confused?" Jane asked, scrubbing away the last of her tears.  
  
"Perhaps, Jane, the best course of action would be to tell him how you feel. If Severus is reminded that you are not the kind of child he is used to, perhaps he will understand you better."  
  
Jane nodded, but she did not agree with the Headmaster. After all, he did not live with Severus everyday, and there was no way he could know everything that happened to her. She laid back down, drained, and sleepy. Vaguely she was aware of Dumbledore telling her to rest, and that he would speak with Severus. Then her eyes closed, and she was asleep once more. 


	12. Soften

Severus glanced over at Jane. She was falling alseep on the floor in front of the fireplace. The heat was making her sleepy, he mused to himself. Noting the red color her skin was turning, he sat down at her side, bending himself in ways he had not since he was very young.  
  
"Jane, you shouldn't sleep here. You'll get heat rash." Severus placed a hand on her arm, and looked down into her face. She was already asleep.  
  
Lifting her into his lap, he heard Jane mumble in her sleep, and then her hands grabbed on to his shirt. Amused, he gently tried to disentangle her hands from the fabric, but she held tight, in a kind of death grip. Severus found himself trapped on the floor, with a very heavy little girl in his lap. It was not that he was not fit, it was the way she had him trapped made it so he could not get up off of the floor without either dropping her or waking her up.  
  
With a sigh, he readjusted her so that she lay more comfortably against him. Pushing her hair out of her face, he pondered the problem before him. Dumbledore had told him what Jane had said. He felt like a jerk. Not that he was not a jerk.  
  
However, he had volunteered to be her guardian, and he could not be her guardian if she was afraid of him. He supposed- grudgingly- that he could soften his persona for her. Although, he was surprised that she was able to care for him even with his normal persona. Most likely she had established him as some sort of protector from that night she had first arrived.  
  
Jane made a small noise in her sleep, and clutched his shirt tighter. It was becoming more than a bit constricting, and once again he tried to break her grip. He succeeded, only to have her grab at his hand, and whimper.  
  
"Damn," he muttered, feeling her fingers digging into his hand. Jane whimpered again, and he could hear her little whispers.  
  
"Daddy!" she sobbed in her sleep, startling him. Brushing back her hair, Severus stroked her cheek. She calmed, and the grip on his hand relaxed slightly.  
  
Staring down at his tiny charge, he wondered why he insisted to himself that she could take care of herself. Aside from one act of bravery, Jane had spent her entire life being utterly helpless. Still, she had the potential to be more than that. Much more. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.  
  
Surprised at himself, Severus pushed himself back from Jane. He laid her down on the carpet. She whimpered again, and curled herself up into a loose ball. Scowling, Severus got up and stalked away.  
  
He sat down at his desk, and picked up a stack of papers to grade. Glaring down at Longbottom's paper, her began to think. How could he have done that? A seven year old child should have no hold on him! Aside from her brains, she meant nothing to him. Nothing at all. 


	13. Twins

Jane wandered down the hallway. Lady wanted to see more of the castle, and so did Jane. It was sometime around two in the afternoon; the children were taking their classes. She peeked into a classroom, just to see what it was like. The children were changing animals into objects.  
  
Their teacher was Professor McGonagall, and she invited Jane to come in and watch. Curious, Jane came in. The students were sixth year students from Houses Gryffindor, and Slytherin. McGonagall gave her a demonstration of what they were supposed to be doing on a small penguin. She tapped her wand on it three times, and right in fron of Jane's eyes the penguin became a- what was that?  
  
"A toaster, dear," McGonagall said when Jane asked. Nodding to the class, McGonagall paused to add a threat, "And if I hear one explosion from your desk, Misters Weasley, you'll be doing detention with Filch tonight."  
  
Jane wandered around the class, watching the students work. After a bit, she decided she liked the Gryffindor students better than the Slytherins. The two boys McGonagall had admonished were exactly the same. This confused her for a bit, and then she approached their desk.  
  
"Why do you two look so much alike?"  
  
"Blimey, we're twins. Didn't you know?" one asked. The other nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"What's twins?" Jane asked curiously. She was certain it had something to do with their being the same.  
  
"Two babies born together from the same mother," McGonagall told Jane as she passed by. After some consideration, Jane asked,  
  
"What's your names?" The boys looked at each other, and then grinned.  
  
"I'm Fred, and he's George," said the first boy. Jane smiled.  
  
"I'm Jane. Are you good at this class?"  
  
"Not too bad," George answered. "At least when she's watching us," he added with a wink. Jane giggled.  
  
"So, what're you doing here?" Fred asked Jane.  
  
"I live here now, with my guardian," Jane answered happily. She could not really remember a time when she had had much chance to speak to other kids.  
  
"Guardian? Who is it? Not McGonagall?"  
  
"No, but she is my friend. My guardian is Severus Snape." Jane wondered if she fed the boys worms, or lemons, would they look more surprised and disgusted than they did now?  
  
"Not the. . . the Bat!" Fred sputtered, after a hasty glance to be sure that McGonagall was not near enough to hear.  
  
"He's not a. . . bat?" Jane paused to think if she knew what a bat was.  
  
"You're staying with the Greasy Git?" George asked. "Is it awful?"  
  
"Not really," Jane said, taking awful to mean bad.  
  
"Not really?" Fred asked, tapping on his bird, trying unsuccessfully to turn it into something. "What does that mean? Is he nice?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't know what nice is," she admitted. The twins exchanged a look. After a moment of silent communication, Geroge asked,  
  
"Does he yell at you? And hit you?" Jane looked down. They knew. Did he tell everyone about her? About how bad she was?  
  
Again, the twins looked at each other, and then at Jane once more. They seemed to come to some sort of agreement, and George leaned down close to her face.  
  
"Listen Jane, if you ever need help, you can come to us, understand?"  
  
"Yes, thank you." Jane smoothly covered her surprise at their gesture. Years of listening to Lady had taught her how to handle things with grace. Even if it was not her own. 


	14. Fears

A/N: All right, here's where things get heady. The next chapter, and those following will contain violence, so please be prepared. If you don't like violence. . . Well, you can skim through as best you can, but the violence is part of the story.  
  
"Jane, if you cannot find your shoes, you will not be going," Severus snapped. She was already giving him a headache. What was she doing in her room?  
  
"Sorry," Jane murmured. He now realized why it had taken her so long. Her clothes had been changed, and her hair brushed.  
  
"The next time I tell you to hurry, I expect you to do so. Now come." Severus gestured for her to follow him.  
  
Why had he agreed to talk her out? He knew why. Dumbledore had insisted that Jane should see more than just Hogwarts. So he foolishly decided to take her to Hogsmeade. And now she was falling behind again. With a snarl, he turned and waited for her.  
  
Jane shrank under his gaze. He was always so angry with her, even when it was not her fault. Her own legs were small, nothing like his own long legs. Chewing on her lower lip, she tried to walk faster.  
  
He thrust out a hand for her to take, and she grasped it gratefully. Mostly because if he held her hand, they would both have to find a median. Another, more secret reason was that she always felt safer when she was close to him. If only he would hold her close. . . Jane almost tripped over a stair. She hated stairs.  
  
Irritated at how slowly she was taking the stairs, Severus reached over and hauled Jane up. She gasped in surprise. Frowning, he set her back down at the top of the stairs. He glared down at her.  
  
"We are going into Hogsmeade, and I do not want you to dawdle on the stairs."  
  
"But they're scary," Jane protested before she could shut her mouth. He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't know," Jane said softly. "I just feel unbalanced."  
  
"You simply need more practice. Then I am certain you will be racing up and down the stairs, daring yourself to break your neck," he told her sarcastically. Jane shivered at the idea of doing something so foolish as racing up stairs.  
  
He took her hand again, and they managed to get to Hogsmeade without any more upsets. It was early summer, and the walk was pleasant. There were no dunderhead students to watch over, and no one causing mayhem along the way. As they made their way through the town, there was some sort of commotion in front of the tavern. Severus turned to see, and went paler than normal. Jane was at his side, looking up at his face.  
  
"Jane, you need to run," he instructed her, letting go of her hand, and reaching for his wand. Jane looked to see men all in black, wearing masks, coming towards them.  
  
"Severus," drawled one voice, "I see you are keeping interesting company. Of course, we will have to take her as well. We want no witnesses."  
  
Jane took a step back, preparing to run away as she had been instructed. Instead, she bumped into someone else. Startled she looked up into the mask of another one of these people in black. The hand that came down on her shoulder was terribly familiar.  
  
"You will not escape me this time, bitch," MacNair said, and Jane froze.  
  
It took only moments to disarm Severus, with the threat to Jane's life. He cursed himself for being so weak. MacNair had a deathgrip on Jane, and she stayed silent, pale skin growing paler by the minute. Lucius Malfoy had one hand on Severus's arm, and then they disapparated.  
  
Jane kept her eyes open the entire time. They had come to an open field. She stared from MacNair to the other men gathered. They had removed their masks, and were talking heatedly about what to do with Severus and Jane. If Jane could only get close enough to Severus, she could get them out of here.  
  
Finally, the tall, blonde-haired man made an impatient gesture. There was a nod of agreement from several others. He returned to the group and announced,  
  
"We are taking them to the Master. Don't worry, Severus. I'm sure he will have a suitable punishment for you."  
  
"The Master?" Jane wondered. Severus shot her a glance. He was scared, she realized.  
  
"Shut up!" MacNair growled, but Jane had gotten over her intial shock. She had never been very respectful, and she fixed him with a cool stare.  
  
Once again, they Apparated. This time there was a house in the distance. The men shoved Severus forward, and he began to walk. Jane walked behind him, with MacNair at her back, every so often kicking her, as if that would encourage her to walk faster.  
  
At the door, the blonde-haired man gestured for them to preceed him. Jane heard it shut behind them, and her nervousness began to overtake her. They were being pushed towards a set of stairs, and Jane winced. If there was one reason she did not want to die, it was for not climbing the stairs fast enough.  
  
The first flight went well enough, because Jane closed her eyes and pretended she was being helped by Fred and George. The second flight took longer because MacNair tried to trip her and got into an argument with the blonde-haired man. Jane waited patiently, watching for a chance to get close to Severus. When MacNair finally agreed to leave Jane alone physically until they had shown her to the Master, they kept going.  
  
The room they were shown into was dark. At the end of the room sat a single chair. Jane remembered this being similar to the King's throne room in Lady's memories. Was this Master pretending to be king?  
  
"Severus, at last you are brought before me," the man hissed. Severus stayed silent, and Jane kept her mouth shut as well.  
  
"You are a traitor, and we all know how we deal with traitors. Your death will be slow and painful." Jane's eyes widened. She did not want Severus to be hurt.  
  
"Who is this?" the man continued, stepping forward to examine Jane. She studied him in turn, curious about his white flaky skin and red eyes.  
  
"Master, she was with Severus when we found him. We thought she might be used for a little entertainment," the blonde-haired man offered.  
  
"Did you bother to check if she might be magic?" The Master demanded. He turned on Severus. "Well, is she, Severus? It might save her life, you know."  
  
"I will not send her to your arms, even if it might save her life," Severus stated coldly. Watching with a cool stare, Jane pretended not to be sizing up the room.  
  
"Then we shall simply have to test her, won't we?" MacNair asked eagerly.  
  
"You can go suck eggs," Jane informed him rudely. She put a mask of cold superiority, one which Lady had taught her.  
  
"I see you have spunk, child. What is your name?"  
  
"Who are you to be asking?" Jane questioned. She saw Severus wince, and knew she might be playing this game a little too dangerously.  
  
"I am Lord Voldemort, little girl. I suggest you pay me respect," the man before her hissed.  
  
"I am Jane, and I pay respect to those who earn it," Jane snapped. She had always had a bit of a loose temper when it came to bullies.  
  
"Well spoken," Voldemort said, after considering her answer. He turned away from them, and ordered, "Malfoy, earn her respect."  
  
"Crucio," the blonde-haired man intoned, and Jane felt a familiar tingle of pain working its way alone her spine. She felt it spread along her limbs, down to her fingers and toes, and up to her scalp.  
  
It was odd, how she never screamed, even though she hurt. Strange that she could pull her consciousness away from the pain, and keep a neutral expression on her face. Even though Jane truly did hurt, she never showed even the vaguest impression. She saw the looks of surprise from those gathered. Voldemort smiled then, a horrible smile that frightened Jane to her very soul.  
  
"She's perfect," he murmured, coming up and cupping her chin roughly. "You, my little girl, you will be the end of Harry Potter."  
  
"You mean that I am to murder him?" Jane asked, arching an eyebrow in a near perfect impression of her guardian. Voldemort merely smiled his horrible smile, and gestured to someone behind her. She saw Severus crumple over in pain.  
  
"If you don't, I will kill your precious guardian. Until you agree to do as I say, I will torture him until he begs for you to say yes. Think about it, little one." Voldemort turned to address Malfoy. "Throw her into a cell next to where you will torture Severus. Feed her small amounts, just enough to keep her from starving. She is not to sleep or rest until she has decided to join us." 


	15. Snake

Jane was roughly shoved into a bare stone room. There was nothing in it- not straw, not a cot- nothing. She almost missed the slithering sound at her feet. When she looked down, she found herself staring into the eyes of a serpent.  
  
Jane immediately moved away from the snake. But in moments, she found herself pinned against one stone wall. The jeers and laughter of the men in their black clothes rang oddly in her little stone room. Then they moved away and shut the door.  
  
For a bit there was silence, in which Jane and her cellmate examined each other. It was too dark for Jane to be certain, but she thought the snake to be larger than she was. Jane hoped that it was not hungry, because she had no doubt she would not win in a fight.  
  
That was when the screams began. Surprised, Jane looked up, but her eyes saw nothing but stone. Jane's little mouth fell open when she realized what had to be happening. She was in the room next to where they were torturing Severus. Those screams were his.  
  
Backing away from her constant cell companion, Jane curled up in a corner, and tried to ignore the screams. It was hopeless. They went on and on. And the realization that they were her fault kept her heart aching. But she would not give in. Harry was Fred and George's friend, and she would never hurt anyone they deemed worthy of friendship.  
  
She started to fall asleep, exhausted from the day's events. The snake came up to her and wrapped itself around her arm, and then pinched it. Jane yelped in pain and opened her eyes.  
  
"That hurt," she told the snake in irritation. The snake hissed in response, and stayed on her arm. When Jane tried to doze, the snake would pinch her arm.  
  
Jane leaned back against the stone, listening to Severus's screams. She would never have thought that he could scream. Or that he could do it for so long. His voice should have been gone hours ago. Had she been in here that long, or was it all her imagination?  
  
The snake hissed. Jane looked up to see her cell door opening. Years of isolation in that dark tower had taught Jane not to go to the door. Whoever it was, they left some food, and a bit of water. Jane waited for the door to shut, and listened to see if she could hear their footsteps over the screams.  
  
After four or five minutes passed listening, Jane finally gave up. She gently detached the snake from her arm, and moved over to the food and water. A critical examination told Jane she could go a few days on this food, if she returned to her former habits. With a nod to herself, she took a sip of water, and ate a bit of a piece of bread.  
  
There was no meat, so she wondered what her cellmate was supposed to eat. The men knew the snake was there. Unless they intended for her to be eaten by the snake. Jane shrugged. Death did not frighten her. At least, not her own death. 


	16. Torture

"So Severus, what shall it be now? We could brand you again, although it is no longer as much fun since you kicked the iron into MacNair's face. Ah, here. We shall use the whip again. I think our last session was sufficently long enough ago not to interfere with the sting."  
  
Severus screamed as the whip came down once again. There was no way he could not, being under Imperius, and beaten. He had not eaten in days, and knew nothing of Jane. Voldemort was most likely keeping her close by, but not allowing her to come and see him.  
  
Over and over, they had used the same methods on him. Eventually, he would be killed. Jane was stubborn, and so was he. Neither of them could ever be released, for fear they would tell what little they knew.  
  
He cried out again when Lucius rubbed salt into his whip wounds. If Severus had been anyone else, he most likely would have broken by now. Not even the great James Potter could have withstood this, he thought bitterly. Lucius had added scar upon scar to his back, his chest- from when they had decided to hang him by meathooks- and his face.  
  
"Had enough Severus? Come now, answer me."  
  
"It will not be enough until you have killed me," Severus grated out.  
  
"Pity, Severus. You always made such an efficient killer." Lucius examined his face. "Although, I daresay the years have not been kind to you."  
  
"They were kinder to me than to you," Severus snapped, using a dig to distract Lucius from his work.  
  
"At least I will not die because my child has no interest in my welfare," he growled.  
  
"She isn't mine," Severus retorted.  
  
"Not yours? I thought she looked little enough like you. But she is powerful. And if she is smarter than you, she will take Harry Potter out, and the Dark Lord will rule the world."  
  
"Potter is not the only defense," Severus muttered.  
  
"Still carrying that old grudge?" Lucius tsked. "Well, don't worry. You won't be there to watch the boy fall. Your little Jane's time is up tonight. And I think I know what she will say."  
  
"All the better for her," Snape grumbled. Lucius smiled.  
  
"Yes. It has been awhile since I tasted such young flesh." Severus debated trying to kick Lucius in his pretty-boy face, but gave up. He would never get his foot up high enough. 


	17. Bitten

Jane lay on her back, contemplating the ceiling of her cell. Yesterday, when she had been asked, she had been warned that tonight was her last chance. Then the snake had bitten her in the arm. Voldemort called the snake Nagini, and he had taken "her" away with him.  
  
It was too bad, Jane supposed. She had sort of liked Nagini, because the snake protected her from MacNair. When MacNair had actually gotten his hands on her, he had broken her arm. It hurt still, but Jane did not really care. She had bigger things to worry about.  
  
The blonde, Malfoy, had come and asked her decision. She had told him in no uncertain terms that she would never hurt Harry Potter or anyone else. He had given her a smile, and then left. Now she was waiting for them to come in and kill her.  
  
The door opened, and Jane stood up. To her surprise, someone was thrust inside, and the door hastily shut. Being used to the darkness, Jane watched the stranger. Then he stood and he was not a stranger any longer.  
  
"Daddy!" she gasped, and then clapped both hands over her mouth. She had never addressed him so to his face. He looked around, and she understood that something was wrong.  
  
He began to claw at his arms. Jane could see the blood on them, and she walked slowly over to him. Once he spotted her, however, his attitude changed. He growled, and caught her in his grip. Staring up at his fearsome scowl, she realized that she was in danger. He bent down and bit her nose.  
  
"Stop that!" she ordered, ignoring the pain, and then the blood running down her face. Severus only growled and tried to do it again.  
  
Even though Jane was smaller than he was, Severus had been starved and beaten all week, and Jane had not. She forced him to release his grip and darted away to the other end of the cell. Now was not the time to panic. She had to think. This was her chance to escape.  
  
If she could get a good hold on him, she could take them away somewhere. The question was, where? Then, Fred and George's offer came back to her. She did not know if they could contain her father, but she knew she had to try. Taking a deep breath, she slowly advanced on Severus. He had turned his back to her, and she could tell by the sound of blood splattering on stone that he was scratching hismelf again.  
  
She ducked under his arms and grabbed tight to his leg. Holding on with all her strength, she imagined Fred and George in their home. The one picture she had seen was fuzzy and old, but Jane forced her mind to clarify it. The cold stone beneath her feet became grass, and Severus stayed whole.  
  
"Blimey!" came a cry from in front of her. "Jane!"  
  
"Hit him!" Jane cried, indicating Severus with a wild gesture. For now her weight was holding him in place, but she knew he would soon realize the problem and turn his violent attentions to her.  
  
Fred and George spared a second for an exchanged look, and then they took their beater's clubs and applied them to the back of Severus's head. He fell down, and Jane breathed a sigh of relief. She passed a blood stained head over her forehead, and then sat down on the grass and cried.  
  
"Jane, what's going on?" Fred asked. George had run into the house to wake the family.  
  
"I don't know. They must have drugged him, or something," Jane answered.  
  
"Who?" Fred asked, looking confused.  
  
"Someone called Malfoy, and MacNair. And there were others, but Voldemort never talked to them in front of me, so I didn't catch their names."  
  
"Voldemort?" a grown man asked. He looked over at Severus and paled. "Dear God, it's Professor Snape! I have to alert the Ministry!"  
  
"Can Owena come?" Jane asked, feeling oddly drowsy. The man gave her a sharp look.  
  
"How do you know Owena?"  
  
"Arthur Weasley, you can't give her the third degree!" Jane noticed a woman with red hair standing, hands on hips, next to George, who had returned. "It's obvious the poor girl has been through a lot tonight, and she doesn't need you questioning her. You go send your owl. Now, what's this about Professor Snape being a raving lunatic?"  
  
Jane paid little attention to what they were discussing. Fred had picked her up, and she was lying against his chest, wishing she could fall asleep. Her tongue felt dry, and she was very thirsty. A few soft pops made Fred turn around, and Jane could see several new people she did not know, and Owena.  
  
"Dear me, Jane! I'm glad I remembered to bring a nurse. Over here first, Kitt. She'll be needing the antidote I told you about." Owena shooed a woman over in Fred's direction.  
  
"Let's take her inside. Do you have someplace where we can lay her down?"  
  
The rest was lost on Jane, as she closed her eyes. Blissfully unaware of the fact that she was dying, Jane fell into a deep sleep. 


	18. Compromised

"She said that Jane would wake up soon, George. Now stop hovering like a mother hen, and go outside with your brothers."  
  
"But she'll want to know where the Greasy- er, Professor Snape is."  
  
"George, just go. When she wakes up, I'll come and get you."  
  
"I am awake," Jane mumbled, sleepily. She opened her eyes, only to find her vision blurry.  
  
"How'd ya feel, Jane?"  
  
"My vision is a little funny. But I feel all right. Where is Severus?" Jane felt funny calling him by his first name, but they had never agreed on what she was supposed to call him.  
  
"They took him to Hogwarts. Owena said it was Death Eaters," George said with a shrug.  
  
"That's Miss Owena to you, George Weasley. And Death Eaters are nothing to shrug over. You had a broken arm, but Miss Olivander fixed you right up. Nice young nurse, that one. I'm sending an owl to the Ministry to let them know you're awake."  
  
"Mum, I can't find my hairbrush," a young red-headed girl called from the stairs. George looked distinctly guilty.  
  
"George has it," Jane told the girl. George stared.  
  
"How'd ya know I had it?"  
  
"You look guilty. And it is in your pocket." The girl came over and claimed her brush, giving George a glare before flouncing off up the stairs. Jane felt sleepy again, but she stifled a yawn.  
  
"Now then, dearie, you must not have had anything to eat for a while. How about some eggs and toast?"  
  
"That would be lovely, thank you," Jane answered, using her best manners. George's mother laid a plate in Jane's lap with more eggs and toast than Jane had ever been given. Surprising herself, she ate all that she had been given.  
  
Fred came inside, and the twins filled Jane in on what they knew of what had happened after she had fallen asleep. When the other people from the Ministry had arrived, Owena had bullied them into silence. She sent Professor Snape back to Hogwarts to be tended to by Madam Pomfrey. Discovering Jane was asleep, she told Mrs. Weasley to send her notice when Jane awoke.  
  
"Which I have," Mrs. Wealey informed the boys. "I expect her within the hour, so please be polite.Oh, and this came for you Jane."  
  
Jane took the envelope she had been offered. It was address to Jane, and she opened the envelope. She took in the unfamiliar handwriting first, and then tried her best to read what it said. After a moment she noticed Fred and George staring at her.  
  
"I can't read it," she admitted. Fred grinned and took the letter from her.  
  
" 'Dear Jane,' " he read aloud, " 'We thought you would like to know that Severus is out of danger. He was drugged, as you speculated, but he is recovering. Madam Pomfrey is anxious to examine your snakebite. She says you should ask Owena to be transfered here, as Severus was. We hope to hear back from you soon. Love, the Hogwarts Staff.' "  
  
"Why does she want to look at my snakebite?" Jane asked, grasping on the first thing she could understand. To her confusion, everyone in the room looked uncomfortable.  
  
"Kitt-er Miss Kitt," Fred amended, catching his mother's glare, "Said that there might be some bad side-effects due to the fact that the venom had sat in your system for so long."  
  
"And what does that mean?" Jane demanded, a little worried by all the dancing around the subject.  
  
"She said you could go blind," George told her gently. Jane blinked.  
  
"I could what?"  
  
"Blind means you can't see," Owena explained. She came in and plunked herself on the arm of the couch Jane had been resting on. "So, how would you like to go to Hogwarts and see Severus?"  
  
"Very much," Jane replied eagerly.  
  
"Good. I thought we might go now before it gets any later in the day. Molly, dear, who else has seen Jane?"  
  
"Well, Ginny, Fred and George. Ron is out with Bill for the weekend. . . Why- oh. Is she in that much danger?"  
  
"I'm afraid so Molly. Now Fred, George, I'll let you keep your memories about Jane from the school year, but I'm afraid this last night would compromise your lives. I'll be back in an hour or so."  
  
Owena slid down off the arm of the couch and gathered Jane up, despite her protests that she could walk. She allowed Jane and the twins to say goodbye, and then carried her outside where she set her on her feet.  
  
"I know very well that you can Apparate on your own. Go back to Hogsmeade, and tell Rosmerta I sent you. Your name until she gets inside Hogwarts is Emily. Think you can remember that, Jane?"  
  
"I'm not Jane. My name is Emily."  
  
"Good girl. Go on, off with you." At Owena's instruction, "Emily" disappeared. 


	19. Treasure

Eyes closed, Jane tried to imagine what being blind would be like. For the moment, it was not so bad. She was in her hospital bed, after being delivered by Rosmerta, and it was nearly dark by her estimation. Madam Pomfrey had tested her eyesight, and told Dumbledore in dismay that Jane was certain to lose it.  
  
Speaking of Madam Pomfrey; Jane glanced over at the office and was pleased to see the light was not on. That meant the nurse was out somewhere. That also meant that Jane could do what she had been wanting to do all day: visit Severus.  
  
Slipping out of bed, she crept, barefoot, over to where his bed was. Without any students around, Madam Pomfrey had forgone the bed curtains. However, with her sight failing rapidly, Jane could not see him well enough to know that he was going to be all right.  
  
Upon reaching his bedside, Jane sat in a chair, unaware that the same chair had been occupied by Dumbledore, Hagrid, McGonagall, and Sprout. She bent over to get a better look at him. His shirt, or rather, what was left of it, had been removed. Even in the dim light, Jane could see the harsh new scars from whatever implements they had whipped, stabbed, and prodded him with.  
  
Slowly, frightened that he might awaken, Jane reached out a hand and touched his cheek. He stirred briefly, but kept his eyes closed. Lower lip trembling, Jane slowly climbed into the bed with Severus. She held his arm, almost the only part left untouched. Noting a brand shaped like a snake, Jane traced it lovingly with a finger.  
  
It was not fair. He should never have been in that situation. And he should not have this stupid mark on his arm. Jane kissed his brand tenderly, the way her mother had once kissed a scrape on her knee.  
  
"Jane?" his weak voice asked. Turning her eyes up to see his face, Jane saw him smile. That smile she had been praying to see before she lost all sight. With a sob of relief, Jane held his arm tighter, nuzzling her nose against it. She knew it might not be very long before he fell asleep once more, and so she forced her aching body upright.  
  
"Jane," he murmured when he saw her face. Gently, she traced a new scar on his face. All of this was because of her. Because Voldemort had thought she would need persuading, and he had not realized that Jane refused to be his tool.  
  
"It's all right, Daddy," she told him softly. "Just sleep."  
  
Watching his eyes close, Jane placed a tender kiss on his nose. He would have told her off for that before this. Later, he most likely would tell her off if she tried that again. Suddenly tired herself, she laid back down at his side. It was darker now; she doubted she would be able to see when she woke up again. That did not matter; she had her wish. She saw him smile, and that would be her own secret treasure. 


	20. Broken Things

Silent as time flowing away, she lay still, her head against the door. Listening for signs that he still existed, that he still came close to her domain. No noise greeted her ears. Despairing once more, she lay there, praying.  
  
It had been so long since Jane had lost her sight. With the loss of sight, and the fact that she was not allowed to leave her little room, Jane also lost her sense of time. She knew that she slept- at least a little- and that she was hungry, but for all she could be certain of, she had spent a month locked in the silence of her room.  
  
Severus, the man she had given her heart to, had abandoned her. He seemed not to care that she was blind, and could not even find the doorknob. Nor did he bother to come and check on her. Jane knew now, for certain that she had given her heart foolishly. Of course he would not want it; stained as it was.  
  
Sighing, Jane pressed her ear to the door in vain. Where was he? He had been gone for what seemed an eternity. If only he would come back, come inside. Then she could tell him what was wrong, and maybe he would help her.  
  
Or perhaps he would do what Fudge had tried to do. Maybe he would send her away. Jane clenched her hands into little fists against the waves of pain the thought sent through her. Maybe he was like her "father." He pretended to care just long enough to steal her heart, and then. . .  
  
Jane struggled to her feet, and then stumbled her way back to the bed. How far away it seemed, without her clarity of sight. Supressing her shivers, she pulled a blanket off the bed, and tried her best to wrap herself in it. Unfortunately, it ended up being a sort of tug of war, which the blanket was winning. She gave a squeak of dismay when she realized she had trapped her arms in painful positions.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Surprised by the sound of Severus's voice, here, in her room, now, Jane did not answer. "Damn it, will you quit playing around?"  
  
Terrified by the anger in his voice, Jane struggled against the blanket. She had to get away. He was angry, and angry people hit.  
  
"Hold still," he snapped in her ear. Frozen with terror, Jane said nothing. She closed her eyes tight. He yanked the blanket off of her, and she felt something in her left arm snap. Landing on the floor, Jane did the only thing she could: she scrambled underneath the bed, and cuddled against the wall.  
  
"Damn it, I am NOT going to play with you. Get out here." He was using that soft voice that told her he was going to kill her. Kill her like he had killed her mother. No, that was not right. he never did that. . . did he? Was it him all along?  
  
"Jane, get out of there." Near to terrified tears, Jane closed her eyes, and whispered,  
  
"Please don't hurt me. . . I'll be good, promise. I'll go away and," she choked, "I'll go away and never come back. I promise."  
  
There was a noise, as if he had sucked in a deep breath quickly. Then Jane heard the sound of retreating footsteps. She sniffled, and then the floodgate opened. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she sobbed. This was not the way the stories in her picture book ended. This was not right. Everything was supposed to be lived "happily ever after." Where was her happily ever after?  
  
Another noise, and then the sound of very heavy feet. . . and scrabbling? What was that? Something furry pressed itself against her hands, and then something warm and wet began scrubbing at her face. It tickled.  
  
"Eep," Jane said with a trace of a giggle. Something, she decided, was licking her face.  
  
"All righ' puppy. Ye come on out." Jane recognized the voice as Hagrid's. He was the gamekeeper, and very nice. A high-pitched whimpering noise made Jane reach out to touch the creature(a puppy, she told herself) that was pressed up against her, almost protectively.  
  
"Does the puppy have to go? I'm all alone under here."  
  
"Well, if ye come out, I can let ye hold 'im," Hagrid said gently. Jane thought about this, and then tried inching her way forward. She discovered her left arm did not like helping, so she let it hang limply. After a bit of crawling, she felt large, but gentle hands lifting her into a sitting position.  
  
"Now ye put 'im in yer lap. Jus' like that," Hagrid said approvingly.  
  
"He's so soft," Jane whispered reverently. The puppy lay still and silent in her lap, and she ran her fingers over it, trying to imagine what it must like.  
  
"Aye. 'E's an orphan; bit like yerself."  
  
"Where is his family?" Jane asked, feeling sleepy. The hands lifted her again, and set her on the bed. She felt herself being covered by the blanket. The puppy stayed with her, now nuzzled against her chest.  
  
" 'Is mum and dad lost a fight with some nasty beast in the forest. Now, ye get some sleep. I'll take wi' Severus, an' see what can be done for ye. Nigh' Jane."  
  
Jane did not answer. Her eyes closed in sleep, and her left arm rested lightly on the sleeping puppy. Hagrid smiled at the sight, and then turned to go and reprimand the stern Potions Master. 


	21. No Mistakes

Ever so slowly, Severus opened Jane's door. She was still sleeping. And there was a dog in her bed. Hagrid must have conviently forgotten that. He came sat down on the edge of her bed.  
  
She was beautiful like this. He could almost forget the misery he had caused her, when her eyes were not staring sightlessly ahead. His scars would fade, but this was permanent. Jane would never see again, and it was all because he had taken her with him to Hogsmeade.  
  
Gently, he stroked her forehead. Hagrid was right. Jane deserved to be loved, not spurned. This was his responsibility, and he could not ignore it. Despite the fact that she reminded him of a grave mistake in his past, Jane needed him.  
  
"Daddy?" she asked in her soft voice. Her eyes blinked open, and he sighed softly.  
  
"I'm here, Jane." She reached out to take his hand. While she had slept, he had mended her broken arm. That had been unintentional, even if he was angry. He watched wordless, as Jane brought his hand to her face, and kissed it.  
  
"I do not deserve that," he said softly, and tried to pull his hand away. She would not let go.  
  
"Yes you do. You're my daddy. And I love you."  
  
"I love you too," Severus said very quietly, and then forced himself to add, "I'm sorry. I have not. . . been the guardian I should be."  
  
"You are all the guardian I ever want," Jane told him firmly. He squeezed her hand gently. The puppy woke up then, licking his hand. Severus made a face.  
  
"Why is there a wolf pup in your bed Jane?"  
  
"He was lonely, and so was I. He comforted me, and then we fell asleep." Jane gently caressed the puppy's head, and scratched it behind the ears.  
  
"I see. And I suppose Hagrid brought him in?" Severus asked, allowing the puppy to continue licking his hand.  
  
"I didn't see it," Jane said in a light tone. Severus chuckled.  
  
"Very well. We shall assume unless told otherwise that the puppy is yours now. What shall you call him?"  
  
"George," Jane said at once. Severus raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Won't Fred be jealous?" he teased.  
  
"He'll just have to learn to get used to disappointment," Jane said in a mock-serious tone. Severus laughed then. He reached down and gathered her up, to set her down in his lap.  
  
"Do you know what the happiest moment in my life has been?" he asked Jane, after he had situated her comfortably.  
  
"No," she said, helping the newly-christened George into her lap.  
  
"When I woke up from that terrible drug-induced haze, knowing that I had hurt you. And I saw your face, and you were whole. And then you called me Daddy. As if nothing I had done to you mattered. And I was still loved just as much."  
  
"You are, Daddy," Jane reminded him, hugging him as best she could with one arm.  
  
"That means more to me than you could ever know, Jane." Jane relaxed in his arms, and he kissed the top of her head. "I should let you sleep. And then when you wake up, I will get you some food."  
  
"Stay with me," she asked almost immediately.  
  
"I would not think of leaving," he replied. He laid her back into her bed, and she curled up against him. He stayed there at her side, watching her sleep. There would be no mistakes this time.  
  
A/N: This is where the story ends. It is NOT up to speed with the other story, but I will re-introduce Jane in Less Than Perfect, and THEN that story will be done, and a new one will begin. Whew! I'm in so deep. ^_~ I hope you all enjoyed it, but to tell me how you felt, press the little purple button at the bottom of the screen. 


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